Holiday scams are ramping up rapidly as we approach Christmas, and Cherokee County has certainly been included in the list of target areas.

WEIS Radio News has recently received repeated reports of old con games, including social security, fake charity and imposter relative rip-off – not to mention the most popular of all, at least in this area – the dreaded Publisher’s Clearinghouse Scam.

Actually – no matter how they begin – each of these con games, eventually head in the same direction:  The person you’re dealing with through phone, text, e-mail or whatever, will ask you for personal, private information  that you SHOULD NEVER GIVE OUT!

Never tell them your name, address, social security number, credit/debit card numbers and or bank account numbers, password to anything – don’t buy a Green Dot card – don’t talk to them.  Hang up!

You didn’t win a contest that you didn’t enter!  You don’t ever have to pay any sort of a “fee” or any “taxes” in order to collect a prize in a legitimate contest!

It it sounds too good to be true, IT IS!

The definition of SCAM is “a dishonest scheme; a fraud.”

The best defense is always being on guard.